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M5.1 Earthquake near South Sandwich Islands region

UTC time: 2025-12-12 13:55:56 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
52.0 km
Source
USGS

South Sandwich Islands region

Map

M5.1 Earthquake near South Sandwich Islands region · 2025-12-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near South Sandwich Islands region · 2025-12-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 12, 2025 at 13:55 UTC, a magnitude M5.1 earthquake occurred near South Sandwich Islands region. With a focal depth of about 52 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
69315c28bc469b1c6d077692fd43356504750a6b
Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
52.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-12 13:55:56 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-59.65740, -26.18740
Temperature
-1.0°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 52 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 52 km
Shallow
52 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Grytviken863.5 kmNW2

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Southern Thule
    Distance: 63 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'075 m ·Last eruption: 1975 ·United Kingdom
  • Bristol Island
    Distance: 74 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'100 m ·Last eruption: 2016 ·United Kingdom
  • Montagu Island
    Distance: 135 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'370 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·United Kingdom
  • Saunders
    Distance: 207 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 843 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·United Kingdom
  • Candlemas Island
    Distance: 288 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 550 m ·Last eruption: 1911 ·United Kingdom
  • Hodson
    Distance: 333 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 835 m ·United Kingdom

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours6
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M4.92025-12-12 13:56:10 UTC80.2 kmSouth Sandwich Islands Region M5.22025-12-13 14:04:26 UTC83.4 kmSouth Sandwich Islands Region M5.02025-12-13 14:04:34 UTC86.8 kmSouth Sandwich Islands region M5.32025-12-15 00:43:15 UTC105.9 kmSouth Sandwich Islands Region M5.22025-12-15 00:43:18 UTC107.9 kmSouth Sandwich Islands region M5.02025-12-15 00:43:20 UTC81.1 kmSouth Sandwich Islands Region M5.52025-12-17 17:05:55 UTC112.4 kmSouth Sandwich Islands Region M5.62025-12-17 17:05:56 UTC116.9 kmSouth Sandwich Islands Region M5.72025-12-17 17:05:57 UTC121.6 kmSOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION M5.72025-12-17 17:06:01 UTC106.8 kmSouth Sandwich Islands region M5.22025-12-28 04:36:17 UTC11.0 kmSouth Sandwich Islands Region M5.12025-12-28 04:36:20 UTC27.4 kmSOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#32
Earlier events M≥480
Earlier events M≥542
Compared since2025-01-03

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.92025-08-31 16:24:29 UTC142.3 kmSOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION M5.92025-08-31 16:24:28 UTC142.3 kmSouth Sandwich Islands region M5.72025-12-08 18:41:11 UTC137.1 kmSouth Sandwich Islands Region M5.72025-03-20 06:30:19 UTC104.3 kmSouth Sandwich Islands region M5.62025-07-30 09:24:37 UTC80.0 kmSouth Sandwich Islands region

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
603
Country (24h)
—
—
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